Ed Sandis Pork Roast And Dumplings W Sauerkraut Food

ED & SANDI'S PORK ROAST AND DUMPLINGS W/ SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• DUMPLINGS: Mix and knead flour, prepared instant potatoes and eggs. (See photo #2) Go on, fondle that mass! Add a little water if too dry or flour if too wet. The dough should no longer be sticking tenaciously to your hands or the board as you knead. Be careful not to add too much flour or your dumplings will be too hard. Use your culinary expertise. If, by chance, you have none, welcome to the club. Form dough into a loaf (See photo #3) and set aside. Go put the next load of laundry in the washer and neglect, as usual, folding the dryer load until someone complains so loudly, you have no choice but to submit.
• PORK ROAST: Place sliced and now screaming garlic into slits you've cut all over roast. Season with the sage and half of each of the following; caraway seeds, salt, pepper and onion powder. Push the laundry out of your mind. It really has no business intruding on your kitchen time, now does it.
• Sear in skillet on all sides. Remind yourself to use the splatter guard next time you do this and turn the stereo up louder to muffle the sounds of self-flagellating irritation ricocheting through your head as you count the newly forming grease blisters on your hands and forearms.
• Put into baking pan and cook at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Unless the roast has quite a bit of fat attached to it, add several pats of butter on and around the roast. Remind yourself that there are others in the house who, if they really appreciated you, would be doing that laundry.
• Lower heat to 375 and cook for 1.5 hours. Lower again after that to 250 for 15 to 30 minutes to finish. Meanwhile, QVC wants you to know.... "You're worth it!" (the diamond earrings...Give in.).
• Check the roast occasionally and baste with rendered fat, adding butter if needed, but don't tell your doctor or at least don't mention our names.
• RESUME DUMPLING PRODUCTION WHILE ROAST COOKS: Cut across loaf of dough at 1" intervals (see photo #4). Roll into cylindrical shapes about 1" in diameter x 3-4" long.
• Boil several at a time, but don't overcrowd, in a large pot until they float like -- well, like things that float. Make sure they don't stick to the bottom while boiling. Cut into a cylinder to check for uniform doneness. The color/shade should be the same throughout the thickness of the dumpling. Remove the remainder of the dumplings and cut each into 1/2" slices, setting them aside in large bowl. Finish boiling/slicing all dumpling cylinders.
• What laundry?.
• MEANWHILE: Cook the drained sauerkraut with salt, pepper, the remaining caraway seeds, (we like LOTS!) and dried onion flakes on medium heat with 1 tablespoon butter until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. If your mother in law is present, notice how she periodically cuts her eyes toward you in the kitchen -- in essence, "back seat cooking". If she tries to take over, asking if she can "help you", suddenly remember the laundry. Laugh internally as she slumps toward the laundry room.
• Check for doneness by cutting into roast. Don't worry about losing any juices - you have butter, one of the major food groups, on your side. Resist the temptation to ram your incisors into roast before it's plated.
• Serve roast sliced. Use roast juice over sauerkraut and dumplings. Or, for the less socially correct, bathe everything on your plate in good, old-fashioned FAT! Yum!

PORK LOIN, SAUERKRAUT AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For the pork loin, pressure cooker method:
• In a pressure cooker set on high heat, brown the pork in the oil on all sides. Season with salt and pepper. Add about 6 cups water or broth so there is about 1 1/2 inches. For larger roasts, add 1/2-inch more liquid per pound. Pressure cook until the pork is extremely tender and falling apart, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (This is important to the dish.) Remove the meat from the pot and reserve the juices.
• For the pork loin, oven method:
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pierce the pork with a knife and insert the slices of garlic different parts of the roast. Season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy cast iron pot over high heat. Sear the pork until brown. Add the beef broth and vermouth (this will also deglaze the pan) and cover the pot with a lid. Bake, basting frequently with the pan juices, until the pork is pink and juicy inside but not dry and gray, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Be sure to periodically check your roast, as you want the roast to be pink and juicy inside, not dry and gray. Remove the meat from the pot and reserve the juices.
• Combine the cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water. Slowly whisk the cornstarch mixture into the pan juices to thicken the juices so they will stick to the pork and dumplings. (However, Grandma and Grandpa preferred the traditional thinner juice.)
• For the potato dumplings:
• While the meat is cooking, prepare the dumplings. Place a pot of water to boil.
• Place the potato flakes in a large bowl. Place the milk, butter and 2 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Pour the potato mixture over the potato flakes and whip with a fork until smooth. Let cool.
• Add the eggs to the potatoes and mix well. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until a dough forms, adding more flour if needed.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured bread board and knead in more flour until the dough is stiff and doesn't stick to your hands. Break off small pieces and form into flat balls, drop into rapidly boiling water. Bring back to a boil and cook 10 to 15 minutes. Cut 1 and if it isn't sticky inside, they are done.
• For the sauerkraut:
• Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pot. Add the onion and cook until transparent. Add the sauerkraut, vermouth, beef bouillon to taste, caraway seeds to taste, salt (not much) and pepper. Simmer until the flavors meld, 30 to 45 minutes. Serve along side the pork.
• For serving:
• This was usually done homestyle. Place some pork, a dumpling (cut into hearty, bit-size pieces) and some sauerkraut on a plate. Then pass and spoon or drizzle some of the reserved meat juices over the pork and dumplings--this ties everything all together and gives you a forkful of flavor in each bite.
• There you have it: hearty, stick-to-your-ribs pork, dumplings and sauerkraut--an excellent dish on a cold, frosty night!

PORK AND SAUERKRAUT WITH DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Rub pork with salt and pepper. Place in a pot (with a lid - if possible) and cover with water, adding onion cut into pieces.
• Boil meat until tender, remove excess fat.
• Add sauerkraut and simmer about 20 minutess.
• Mix dry dumpling ingredients together.
• Add milk gradually mixing well then add the melted butter.
• Drop by spoonsful into boiling pork and kraut.
• Cook 15 minutes covered.

PORK, SAUERKRAUT AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Place pork roast into the bottom of a slow cooker and cover with sauerkraut with juice, applesauce, brown sugar, and 1 can beer. Set cooker to High, cover, and cook 3 hours. Reduce heat to Low and cook 4 more hours.
• About 1 1/2 hours before serving time, heat water with reserved pork trimmings in a large saucepan over low heat and simmer to make broth, about 45 minutes. Strain broth, discard trimmings, and pour remaining can of beer and kraut juice into the simmering broth. Bring the broth to a boil.
• Mix baking mix and milk in a bowl to make a sticky dough. Drop by spoonfuls into the boiling broth. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer dumplings for 10 minutes; uncover and simmer until dumplings are set, about 10 more minutes. For chewier dumplings, boil a few minutes longer. Remove dumplings from the broth with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving bowl.
• Serve pork with cooked kraut and dumplings on the side; spoon thickened broth over dumplings.

PORK KNUCKLES WITH SAUERKRAUT AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Clean pork knuckles, scrape and wash thoroughly.
• Combine with sauerkraut and cover with cold water.
• Cook slowly until knuckles are tender.
• Add melted butter to beaten egg and water.
• Sift dry ingredients together and combine with egg mixture; beat thoroughly.
• If necessary, add more flour to make a stiff enough batter to drop from a spoon.
• Twenty minutes before serving, drop the batter by spoonfuls into the hot sauerkraut.
• Cover tightly and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

ROAST PORK WITH SAUERKRAUT AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• 1. Place pork roast in 13x9" roasting pan. Cut onion into wedges and tuck around roast in bottom of pan, and a few across the top. Sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper over roast. Bake @ 400 degrees for the first hour and then reduce heat to 350 degrees until done. (Note: You want the onions to caramelize so the juices are a nice dark brown when the roast is finished cooking. Adding 1/4 cup of water after the first hour helps attain this for you. These juices are for the sauerkraut & dumplings and the darker, the better!)
• 2. In a large mixing bowl, measure 4 cups of flour. Make a well in the center of the flour and break the 4 eggs into the well. Begin stirring the eggs and drawing the flour into the egg as you stir. Gradually add the 2 cups of water. Sometimes it doesn't need quite the 2 cups... Stop adding water then the dough is fairly firm but sticky.
• 3. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in large pot. Using a soup spoon, scoop spoonfuls of the batter into the boiling water. Reduce the heat a tad and boil for 10 minutes. Watch the pot... this will foam up and start to spill over if not watched!
• 4. Drain the dumplings and return them to the pot. Add the 2 cans of sauerkraut to the dumplings and simmer on low until the roast is ready to come out of the oven.
• 5. The last and most important step... put the pork drippings and cooked onion into the sauerkraut & dumplings. This adds amazing flavor and the sauerkraut is a nice golden brown.
• 6. We always have this with applesauce on the side. Makes it complete!